


Darkness within

by Bl4ckHunter



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Dark Oliver Queen, F/M, inner darkness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23576617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bl4ckHunter/pseuds/Bl4ckHunter
Summary: What happens, when Oliver finds someone with her own inner darkness but standing on the opposite side?
Relationships: Helena Bertinelli/Oliver Queen
Comments: 8
Kudos: 11





	1. Prologue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver meets a woman with dark past to which he finds himself attracted for some reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something that occured to me from re-watching Dexter and I wanted to try Oliver/Helena. I originally considered doing Roy/Jade but given the nature of the story, Oliver/Helena fits better due to their inner darkness.
> 
> This is kind of an AU though, so there are Barry and Patty gonna show up but this is mainly Arrow story. Just for the record, Oliver is not exactly a cop but kind of a PI consultant for the police. This is going to be a short story, with few chapters.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"So, before his death, Salvati told us about the bodies he had ditched. Most of them. One's missing." Oliver said.

"Thanks for coming." Patty said as she and Oliver went to some greenhouse with Barry.

"From what I've read, Helena Bertinelli laid low after her family got arrested. Looks like she really changed her life." Oliver said.

They saw a brunette woman was tending to some plants before she turned to them. "Do you need something?"

"Detective Patty Spivot and Barry Allen, CSI." They showed their badges as they turned to Oliver. "This is Oliver Queen. A… consultant."

"A consultant. This just gets better and better." Helena muttered. "Look, I've already told the police everything I have to tell about my family. I left them a long time ago and I'd like to put it behind me."

"We just have some questions. I'd prefer if we didn't have to bring you in to the precinct." Patty said calmly.

Helena sighed. "Fine. But I'm busy." They followed Helena into the greenhouse.

"You know nothing about the people Frank Bertinelli and Nick Salvati murdered?" Oliver asked.

"I didn't ask questions about what Dad and Nick were doing, nor was I there." Helena said, as she tended to the plants, while Oliver was about to touch one of them. "I wouldn't touch them, if I were you. They're sharp and poisonous. Can easily give you a headache. So, if that's all—"

"We recently found in your father's house mementos." Barry pulled out of his bag some books. "If you won't mind—"

Helena glared. "I'm afraid I will, Mr…"

"…Allen." Barry said.

"Mr. Allen." Helena sighed. "Sorry but… look, what my family did back then, I'd rather not live with. I wanted no part of it then, I want no part of it now. I have to live with the brand of what my family had done forever. And I'm fine with that. But the only way for me to survive is to let go of my past and move on with my life." She said with a pleading look.

"Don't you think you owe the families of the victims some closure?" Patty pleaded.

"I've already told the police everything I know. I'm sorry but I can't help you. I'd appreciate if you would… just leave." Helena said, on verge of tears. But Oliver couldn't help but see a flicker of something dark in her eyes. Just a flicker for a moment.

Barry nodded as he picked a swab. "We understand. But we'd like to take a DNA sample from you to exclude you—"

"I understand." Helena nodded. "I'm more familiar with the police work than I'd like to be." She turned to Barry. "What, are you gonna show me a court order in your back pocket, Mr. Allen?"

Barry showed her the court order. "Miss Bertinelli, if I may—"

"Just make it quick, please." Helena sighed. She opened her mouth as Barry took a sample of saliva from her mouth.

"Thank you."

* * *

Sometime later, Oliver entered the precinct as he sat at Patty's desk.

"What do you want, Oliver?" Patty asked.

"What do you got on Helena?" Oliver asked as she pulled out a file and read it.

"Helena Bertinelli. Four years in a juvie after pleading guilty for being an accomplice to Frank Bertinelli's crimes. Claimed that he forced her to it. Another victim of his crimes. She testified against him." Patty said.

"You think she's innocent?" Oliver asked.

"Honestly, I don't know what to think." Patty said. "She seems like an innocent victim but when I look into her eyes…"

"…there's something dark in them." Oliver nodded.

"Like with you. Remember Edward Rasmus?" Patty asked.

* * *

_"Tell me where's Taylor Moore!" Oliver snarled, holding Rasmus by his feet after chasing him down in his office, with Rasmus hanging over the balcony as Oliver had in his other hand a phone._

_"Whoa, whoa, whoa, don't let me go, please—" Rasmus screamed as Oliver briefly let go before catching him. "OK! There's a box! In the basement!"_

_Oliver put the phone to his ear. "Did you get that?"_

_Patty, Quentin and Hilton were in Rasmus's house, as they entered the basement and opened the box, revealing Taylor with closed eyes._

_"He's alive. Barely."_

_"Thank you." Oliver said before letting Rasmus go. Rasmus thought he was going to die until he felt bones crack as his body crashed with the table. "You're lucky I didn't throw you in the outer balcony."_

* * *

"Oliver, you know I don't approve of your methods, so please, try not to make such a mess." Patty said.

"Don't worry." Oliver assured as he left but Patty remained unconvinced.

* * *

"Mr. Queen?"

Oliver turned around to face Helena, once he left the precinct. "Can I help you, Miss Berti—"

"Just 'Helena' is fine." Helena said.

"Can I help you?" Oliver asked.

"I read about you. You're some kind of a Sherlock Holmes to the police or something like that." Helena said.

"Not exactly. I'd prefer the term 'consultant'." Oliver said.

"I've heard what happened with Rasmus. Does the police approve of your methods?" Helena asked, intrigued by him and for some inexplicable reason, Oliver was intrigued by her too.

"You know the saying, ' _What eyes don't see, the heart doesn't grieve over._ '" Oliver shrugged as Helena nodded.

* * *

Sometime later, Helena was helping the police find bodies buried outside the city as the dogs were looking around.

"It's hot as hell out here." Patty noted.

"There's an old motel, where Helena and the Bertinellis stayed." Barry gestured. "Nothing has changed much since their spree. We might find the bodies here." Suddenly, he smacked himself on the neck. "Goddamned bugs."

"I'll go get some spray." Patty said as she and Barry left.

"Is this part of your job?" Helena asked, approaching Oliver, while taking a drink. "You stand around and stare, Mr. Queen?"

"When there's something out of the ordinary, like body or blood, or something that's not supposed to be there, they'll call the CSIs. In exceptional cases, me too." Oliver said. "I can see things most people can't see with naked eye."

Helena sighed, looking sad as she stared. "I remember when I first saw Dad kill someone. Shot him in the chest right in front of me for refusing to give him protection money. Was scary as hell."

* * *

A few minutes later, they dug out old corpses as Barry examined them with Oliver.

"They put up a fight. Judging from the cuts in the fabric, it was a rather small knife. Six inches." Barry said.

Oliver took a closer look at the other victim. "She was straddled by her assailant…" Then he took a closer look. "Whoever did this, was smaller than Frank or Salvati."

"Who did this, then?" Barry asked as Oliver glanced at Helena. There was only one other person who could have killed her. "Well, it could've been Helena but we don't know for sure until we run some tests. We'll have to take the bodies to the lab. I think we're done here."

"OK, let's grab them." Patty ordered as the CSIs took the bodies.

Unknowing to Barry and Patty, Helena had been listening and smirking. Just for a second. But Oliver noticed that. And in that second, he _knew_. The flicker of darkness in her eyes told him everything he needed to know.

* * *

Oliver was approaching his car as Helena neared him. "So you help the lab geeks."

"That's part of my job." Oliver said. "But I can see more behind the story than it seems to be at first glance." He picked Helena's wrist as he saw an old scar.

"It's something from Nick, when I talked back at him and refused to help." Helena smirked.

Oliver's eyes narrowed. "Bullshit. Whoever killed that woman was smaller than Frank or Salvati. They were busy disposing of the other bodies. And the killer used a different knife. And she was inexperienced. This was her first kill. She got carried away, stabbed the woman again and again and again until she cut herself in her palm."

Helena chuckled. "Nice deduction, Sherlock. But there's no way to prove that. I'm sticking to my story…"

"Which is a lie." Oliver pointed out, seeing the darkness in her eyes. The same darkness he had when he looked at himself in the mirror.

"…and besides, I have a deal with the District Attorney's office. Immunity for cooperation against my family." Helena reminded. "A girl has to protect herself. See you around… Ollie." She winked and smirked as she left as Oliver's eyes narrowed at her.

* * *

Sometime later, Oliver returned to Helena's house as she was tending to some plants in her garden and she turned to him.

"Are you stalking me, Mr. Queen?" Helena asked as she picked a dead rabbit.

"Just 'Oliver' is fine. What did you do to Peter Rabbit?" Oliver asked.

"Poison. I tried a trap but they keep coming back. Ruining my plants. I'm doing what I have to do to protect them." Helena said.

"Remind me to never come into your place uninvited." Oliver said.

"Too little too late. First you accuse me of murder, then animal cruelty, what next?" Helena asked.

"No." Oliver said. "I wanted to apologize. Mr. Allen did the analysis but the blood was too degraded by the years coming by and the dirt. The results were inconclusive. I shouldn't have accused you in the first place. Consider this my honest apology."

Helena smirked. "It must be hard to admit, when you're wrong."

Oliver knew he was right but he needed Helena to let her guard down. "You have a plant advice? I want to buy one for my apartment."

Helena led him into her greenhouse. "You live alone? No girlfriend or—"

"No. Just my lonesome self." Oliver said.

"I was engaged for a time. But…" Helena looked saddened. "…he passed away." She handed Oliver some yellow plants. "How about this one? It may last for years with good care."

"I kind of figured that plants start to die once you get them out of their natural place." Oliver shrugged.

Helena's eyes narrowed. "A dark outlook, don't you think?"

"Let's just say I've seen my share of dark." Oliver said. "How did he die? Your fiancé?"

"Heart attack." Helena said as Oliver's eyes narrowed at the plants. He had experience with poison and if you knew the right plants…

* * *

Barry was in the lab as his phone rang and he answered the call. "Hey, Ollie?"

"Barry, can you send me an autopsy report on Michael Stanton?" Oliver asked.

"Why?" Barry asked.

"I'm trying to look into an old case." Oliver said.

"OK…"

* * *

"Heart attack." Oliver read. But as he looked into it, he read about some inconclusive reports about some unknown substance in the blood that no one could identify. But Oliver knew his. Aconite. Ingesting it causes heart attack. Helena killed her fiancé. But the police couldn't prove that since they had no idea what they were looking for.

Then he heard the doorbell and he opened the door and smiled to see Helena. "Can I help you, Helena?"

"It's honestly getting creepy how you stare at me. I could see it in your eyes." Helena said. "What's so attractive about me?"

"I wanted to take you out." Oliver said bluntly. For some reason, he just blurt it out and Helena stared. For a moment he tensed, thinking he had shown her his true face.

"On a date?" Helena laughed and Oliver internally relaxed. Clearly she thought he was being literal. "You're sweet but I don't date. Attachments aren't my thing."

"So what's your thing?" Oliver asked.

"Honestly, I don't know." Helena said.

Bull. She just wouldn't show to Oliver who she really is.

Helena took a breath and sat down. "When I was a kid, we'd go to Disney World. I especially loved it during Christmas. Santa's Holiday Adventure. It would remind me of how innocent I was. Back then, things were simple. I didn't know who my family really was and had this… fantasy about being in a happy family. But then… once you look past the beauty… all you can see…"

"…is the ugly." Oliver finished, feeling bad for her.

"Once you touch that darkness, it stays with you forever. I just didn't know who I am anymore." Helena said, staring outside the window.

Then Oliver got an idea. He knew he couldn't let her walk free, nor could he prove her guilt with any solid proof. There was only one solution and right now he had the perfect opportunity. "I know a place. But it's not exactly legal get in. How do you feel about breaking and entering?"

* * *

Later at night, they broke into an old amusement park and were in some kind of a Christmas themed house as Oliver turned on the lights. Helena smiled as she looked around.

"I thought this might bring you some peace." Oliver said.

Helena felt like a young innocent child for a moment as her eyes got wet. "Thank you."

But her instincts suddenly turned on as she whirled around but Oliver had her pinned to the wall with a knife at her neck. "I know you lied. And you think because they have no proof, you can escape justice. But you can't. Not my justice."

He thought Helena would show fear but she just smirked. "There's the look I've been waiting to see. You hide it well from the others but you can't hide it from me. Go ahead. Do it. Come on." She touched the handle of the knife and neared the blade to her own throat. "Do what you gotta do. Kill me, Oliver."

Oliver pulled the knife away and Helena smirked, believing that he was going to stab her in the head but he jammed the knife into the wall inches away from her face as they stared at each other. Their masks had fallen off. They were their true selves now, their darkness exposed to each other. The killers staring into each other's eyes. Oliver thought Helena was going to kill him and Helena thought he was going to kill her as they kept staring at each other.

But then they felt energy build up between them that they couldn't explain. Next thing they both knew, they were tearing each other's clothes off as they laid down onto a table and Helena moaned and panted out as she felt Oliver giving in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what do you guys think? Is it good? Is it bad? Should I continue?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


	2. Chemistry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver finds himself attracted to Helena but soon enough realizes that the attraction can backfire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Oliver and Helena were lying on a table, their clothes scattered across the floor, both of them naked after making love before Helena got on top of Oliver with the knife at his neck.

"How do you like it now, Oliver?" Helena sneered.

"Can't say I'm really impressed or disappointed." Oliver admitted.

"Do you do this to all girls you go out with?" Helena asked. "Make them feel like they were young, then you gut them—"

"That's not really my style. I haven't gone out in a long time." Oliver said.

"So, this whole 'date' was just a way to get me alone so you could kill me?" Helena demanded. "Why?"

"Some people walk away with what they've done. Like I told you, I'm making sure they can't escape justice." Oliver said.

"You kill people…" Helena realized, looking into his eyes. Right now, they were full of darkness.

"Just bad people. When I have to." Oliver said.

"So you think I'm bad?" Helena asked.

"Can't say you don't fit the general description." Oliver admitted.

Helena smirked. "You have no idea." They continued making out until they were tired and fell asleep.

* * *

Later in the morning, Oliver drove Helena back to her house.

"Let's pretend this never happened." Oliver said.

"What? The part where you were about to gut me?" Helena asked.

"The part where we had sex." Oliver corrected.

"I agree." Helena said, much to his surprise before she noticed his look. "I think you and I both know it would not end well. Just tell me one thing." Oliver turned to her. "Are you gonna try to kill me—"

"If I wanted you dead, we wouldn't be talking right now." Oliver admitted. "Let's just pretend that this was all one big misunderstanding."

"Fair enough." Helena shrugged as Oliver glanced at her.

"For someone, who was about to die, you're not really shaken up." Oliver said.

"I guess I should be a little more freaked out. But somehow, I knew you weren't really gonna kill me." Helena said as Oliver considered, staring at the road until he parked outside her house. "Thank you." She kissed him and was about to open the door before turning to Oliver. "Well, last night was… interesting."

"That's one way to put it." Oliver said as he turned to her.

"I know that some other… monsters have died and you were involved. Did you kill them?" Helena asked.

"Do you want to know the answer?" Oliver questioned. He tried to deny to himself and to her his inner darkness but she had already seen through him.

Helena smirked as she looked into his eyes. "I already know what I wanted to know. See you around, Oliver." She went out and entered her house as Oliver observed until he saw a familiar face.

Oliver went out as he faced a middle-aged man in a suit. Roger Nixon. Oliver sighed. He was the last thing Oliver needed. The man thrived on stories and more than once Oliver had given him great twists in his news articles, often painting him in light Oliver would rather not want people to, as much as it didn't matter to him how people might perceive him. It was only the willing obliviousness of the world that people were in denial and to them was Oliver just an ordinary man as any. Most of the stories painted Oliver as a hero. Sometimes… they didn't have him revered in such bright light.

"Clouds parted and much was revealed." Nixon said.

"Such as?" Oliver asked.

"I've heard about your work back at the grave site where the Bertinellis had ditched their victims. It was kind of a spotty work for someone like you. You were protecting someone." Nixon said.

Oliver rubbed his face. Well, Nixon didn't get it all right, as far as he knew, Oliver was just getting himself in over his head but still, Nixon writing about Oliver and Helena was the last thing he needed.

"How long have you been seeing her?" Nixon asked.

"What do you want to keep quiet?" Oliver asked, trying to act frightened.

"Sorry, wish I could say it's in my nature to keep quiet." Nixon said. "Nothing personal, Mr. Queen, I'm just doing my job. It's my life."

"You'll ruin mine." Oliver said, trying to sound like if he was begging.

"Sorry. No way around that." Nixon shrugged indifferently. "But you could always go on the record. Help me get my facts straight. I love writing about crimes from the inside."

Oliver sighed. Maybe there was a way to shut Nixon up. "I'll do it."

Nixon looked surprised. Usually, Oliver would just tell him off. "Really? How do I know you wouldn't be trying to save your own ass?"

"You'd have to judge for yourself. Either way, I'd be on the record." Oliver offered.

Nixon considered. "I'll think about it. In the meantime, as a gesture of good faith, I'll keep quiet about you and Miss Bertinelli. I think that's a fair deal, don't you think?" Oliver nodded. "But if I were you, I'd be careful what I eat around that woman. She knows her poison." Which Oliver knew far too well as he observed Nixon enter his car. "I'll be in touch, Queen."

Oliver relaxed as Nixon drove away. At least he bought himself some time.

* * *

"Do you think that Helena may be the second killer?" Patty asked as she and Barry examined the corpses and blood spatter and wounds.

"Well, she matches the height but we can't tell anything for certain." Barry said. "Well, there's one person, who could tell us more about Helena? Her fiancé's sister."

* * *

Later, Barry and Patty entered the house of Miss Stanton, asking her for a permission to exhume her brother's body.

"New evidence indicates that your brother's death may not have been an accident." Patty said.

"Michael died of a heart attack." Miss Stanton shook her head in denial.

"We have a reason to believe he may have been poisoned. And we think it may have been…"

"…Helena?" Miss Stanton raised her brows.

"That's what we suspect. Did she and Michael get along well?" Barry asked.

"They had a great relationship." Miss Stanton said. "They were in love. Until she lost the baby."

"Helena was pregnant?" Patty's and Barry's eyes widened.

"Miscarriage. Poor girl." Miss Stanton nodded in sympathy. "After that… it was like if everything fell apart between her and Michael."

* * *

Oliver entered Helena's greenhouse as she was tending to her plants as she smiled. "You stayed away from me one day. I honestly thought you'd last shorter than that. What made you come back? Did you miss me?"

"Roger Nixon happened." Oliver said and Helena raised her brows.

"The reporter?" Helena asked. "I've had my fair share of dealing with that asshole."

Oliver nodded. "He saw us together, when I dropped you off. He wants to—"

"I see." Helena nodded. "I think you and I both know that can't happen. He did come by to my place once. Wanted me to go on record regarding my family's murders, otherwise he'd accuse me of being an accomplice and write that I'm a murderer."

Oliver sighed. Usually, he would get Nixon to back off but enough was enough. "I'll handle Nixon."

"Like how you wanted to handle me?" Helena asked, raising her brows.

"No. This is different. That's how I deal with murderers. People like him, all you need is a leverage." Oliver said. "I have a code."

"Code?" Helena laughed, amused. "You know, sometimes… life can be so fragile. Not everyone can make it the end of the day. Why dress it up?"

"It's not that simple." Oliver shook his head.

"I think you're just too afraid to admit to yourself who you really are." Helena said. "You like it. The thrill of the hunt. The rush of adrenaline. The excitement, when—"

"I don't kill. Not unless I really have to. I take no joy in that." Oliver said.

"You can keep telling yourself that." Helena smirked.

"I don't enjoy it. Unlike you." Oliver said.

"I wouldn't call it 'enjoying'." Helena said. "To me, kill is… surrendering to the nature's way. Nature adds and subtracts. Survival of the fittest. I'm only doing what I must to stay alive."

"So that's what you believe you are? The fittest of them all?" Oliver questioned.

Helena stared at him in consideration. "Haven't you wondered what would it be like if you didn't have this code you live by? Why restrain yourself instead of giving fully into who you are?"

"Because there are things worth living for. And I won't throw that all away for it." Oliver said. Patty, Barry and all Oliver's friends, they might believe Oliver could be… extreme but they knew he was a good man in heart. But if he showed to them his ugly side fully… there would be no way back. "Let me handle Nixon. I can get him to back off for good. No one has to die."

"I don't need your protection, Oliver." Helena said.

"I never said that you do." Oliver said as he neared her. For a moment she thought he was going to kiss her until he stopped inches away from her face. "Let's just say that this is my goodbye present to you. We both know that… this…" He tapped Helena on her chest. "…can't happen."

"So I guess this is 'goodbye', huh?" Helena asked.

"I guess it is." Oliver said.

He walked away, leaving Helena behind. As much as opposites do attract, some chemicals explode, when you mix then together. He had tried other relationships before. Sara. Dinah. But to them, his dark side was a curse that would infect their lives. Helena seemed to accept him for who he was. So why was he walking away from this? They both had this… chemistry. An unquantifiable, inexplicable attraction. But when you mix some chemicals, they explode.

* * *

Barry, Patty and Miss Stanton were in a mortuary, about to exhume Michael's corpse but as the medical examiner opened the casket, Barry and Patty stared in disbelief.

"What the hell?" Barry demanded as he saw the skeleton. "What happened to the tissue?"

"Is this normal?" Patty asked.

"If the body isn't embalmed, then yes." The medical examiner confirmed.

"Isn't that standard procedure?" Barry and Patty looked confused.

"Unless the next of kin specifies otherwise." The medical examiner said and it didn't take long for Barry and Patty to put it together.

"Damn it." Patty swore as they went out.

"What is it?" Miss Stanton asked.

"We can't run the tests." Barry said. "Your brother's remains weren't embalmed. There's nothing we can find out from a skeleton."

"So you're telling me this was all for nothing?!" Miss Stanton asked angrily.

Barry put a hand on her shoulder. "Look, we're gonna figure this—"

But she was on verge of tears as she ran off.

* * *

Nixon entered Helena's house as he sat across her.

"I'm surprised to have heard from you." Nixon said.

"I'll go on the record. Under one condition. You leave Oliver Queen out of this. He is off-the-record." Helena said as Nixon raised his hands.

"I have no idea who Oliver Queen is." Nixon pulled out his recorder and notepad. "So, regarding your family's murders…"

* * *

Oliver lockpicked the door into Nixon's house as he looked for anything as a leverage. If there was some DNA of Nixon's at a crime scene… He found Nixon's hair in trash bin after shaving and used a duct tape to get some fingerprints off the doorknob. His experience with working with Barry had come handy in a situation like this one. But there was still the matter of Helena.

Oliver opened Nixon's laptop and got to work. It didn't take much effort to crack his password. If he could sabotage Nixon's research on Oliver and Helena, maybe he could 'kill' Nixon's article. He found what he needed after a few seconds and clicked on 'Delete permanently'. In a matter of seconds, everything Nixon had on Oliver or Helena was wiped from the hard drive. Oliver could only hope that Nixon didn't have any backup.

* * *

Helena was on verge of tears as Nixon interviewed her, while chewing his pencil. "I thought it would be easy, seeing how scared she was."

"What was your family doing?" Nixon asked.

"Nick stabbed the young boy over… and over…" Helena breathed out. "The kid screamed like crazy… he watched his parents… and… I-I tried to… but Dad hit me. He made me… I grabbed the boy and pinned him to the bed. But he kept screaming, so I covered his mouth. I just wanted him to stop screaming…" She sobbed. "But I pushed too hard… and he… suffocated…"

Nixon turned off the recorder and handed her a tissue. "It's alright. Take your time. May I ask where's the toilet?"

"There." Helena pointed to the door as Nixon left, putting his pencil on the desk. Helena smirked. Now she had the perfect opportunity.

* * *

Oliver entered his apartment as a blonde woman with glasses smiled, while wiping his desk with a cloth. "Hey, Oliver."

"Hey, Felicity." Oliver smiled.

"So, William is tucked to bed, I dusted off your furniture and vacuumed off. Unless you need something else—"

"You're sweet, Felicity, thanks." Oliver said.

"I'll be in William's bedroom if you need something." Felicity said as the doorbell rang.

"Sure." Oliver nodded as Felicity left before Oliver opened to Nixon.

"Hello, Mr. Queen." Nixon said as Oliver let him in.

"Can I get you anything? Soda? Beer?" Oliver offered.

"Just water will do, thanks." Nixon said as he sat down.

"Before I get started, I have a story idea of my own. Non-fiction. Mostly. I wanted to ask for your take." Oliver said.

"I'm listening." Nixon shrugged.

"Remember the unsolved murder of Victor Nocenti? You wrote a successful article about it." Nixon said.

"How can I forget?" Nixon said, not sure where was Oliver going with it.

"New evidence pops up, pointing to a reporter, who had written a piece about it. It turns out he's the killer. Irony's a bitch, isn't it?" Oliver smirked.

Nixon laughed, amused. "How exactly would you make this happen?"

"If I were you, I'd buy a better electric toothbrush. When was the last time you had a dentist appointment?" Oliver asked playfully.

Nixon glared, as it hit him. "You broke into my apartment?"

"'Breaking in' is such a ugly term." Oliver smirked. "But someone might have very carefully picked your lock."

"You bastard!" Nixon sneered.

"It's nothing personal, Roger. But I'm done letting you messing with my life."

"Screw you!" Nixon exploded as he got up, holding himself by his chest and panting out. "You're not gonna get away with this, I'm gonna ruin your—"

Suddenly, Nixon slumped to the floor, hitting himself in the head on the desk as blood spilled as it hit Oliver. Helena. She poisoned him.

"Oliver?" Felicity went out from the bedroom and gasped in shock. "Oh, my God…"

"Felicity, call an ambulance, now!" Oliver ordered as he knelt towards Nixon and administered CPR, while Felicity pulled out her cellphone and dialed 9-1-1.

* * *

"I put William to bed and then I heard shouting. It sounded like an argument." Felicity said.

"Who was shouting? Oliver?" Quentin asked.

"I couldn't recognize the voices. I was in the bedroom." Felicity shook her head. "When I came back into the living room, that reporter guy was on the floor and Oliver was trying to revive him and he told me to call an ambulance."

"I administered CPR until the paramedics showed up." Oliver said as Hilton wrote everything down.

"Thank you, Oliver. I think we're done here." Hilton said.

Quentin then approached Oliver. "Felicity said you and Nixon were arguing before he collapsed. What was it about?"

"The interview might have gotten a bit heated." Oliver said. "He… accused me of a sloppy work on the Bertinelli case, I might have lost control of my tone for a moment. That's it."

Barry and Patty then entered. "We got here as soon as we heard. What happened?" Patty asked at seeing Nixon's corpse.

"Contusion to the head. He got a heart attack. We're not sure what happened." Quentin said.

But Barry and Patty already had their suspicions as they approached Oliver. "This was Helena." Patty said.

"What makes you think that?" Oliver asked.

"We checked Nixon's schedule. He had an appointment with her earlier today. It's not a coincidence that he dies from a heart attack the same day later." Barry said.

"You think she poisoned him? How would she pull that off?" Oliver questioned.

"We're gonna bring her in for questioning and the autopsy is gonna run a tox screen on Nixon." Patty said.

Oliver's eyes narrowed. He knew that Helena wasn't that stupid or sloppy, which made him wonder… how would she get away with it? How would she cover up her involvement?

* * *

In the precinct, Oliver and Barry observed as Patty interrogated Helena in the interrogation room.

"Do you want something, Miss Bertinelli? Water? Coffee?" Patty offered.

"Why am I here, Detective?" Helena asked.

"Roger Nixon died last night of a heart attack." Patty said.

Helena actually looked shocked. "Oh, God. That's horrible."

Oliver's eyes narrowed. She was good. Really good.

"He had an appointment with you earlier that day. He planned to write an article about you." Patty said.

Helena scoffed. "You think I killed him? That's crazy."

"I have a blood report on Michael Stanton. He was killed by poison. And as it happens, the poison he had been killed with, can be found in aconite. A plant that you grow on your property." Patty said. "And as for the Bertinelli killing spree, I have evidence you stabbed one of the victims to death." In fact, the reports were inconclusive but Patty was a good detective. She was bluffing and hoping that Helena would let her guard down.

"I honestly have no idea what are you talking about." Helena said. "And I have immunity for my family's killings."

"I could link both Michael Stanton and Roger Nixon by comparing the toxicology reports. How do you feel about that?" Patty said.

"I did nothing to Michael or Nixon." Helena denied.

"Two people close to you die of a heart attack. Coincidence? I doubt it." Patty said. "Did Michael press you to have a family, so you killed him? Why did you kill him?"

Helena was on verge of tears as Oliver's eyes lit up. That wasn't a mask. Helena wasn't acting. "Please, stop. Either charge me with something with solid evidence to back it up or let me go right now. Are we done here?"

"You sure are." Patty said, glaring as Helena got up.

"My grandfather used to say, 'Trust those, who seek the truth but doubt those who claim that they have found it.'" Helena said. "I may have hated my family but I looked up to grandpa." She left the interrogation room and winked at Oliver before Patty approached him, while Barry came in.

"The tox screen came back negative. I checked it three times." Barry said.

Patty looked at him incredulously. "Are you telling me she's gonna get away with it?"

They turned to Oliver. "Can you do something?"

Oliver considered. He wasn't going to kill her and he only hoped that they weren't asking him to do it. But either way, he couldn't let Helena let walk free, unchecked.

* * *

Later at night, Helena opened the door as she heard knocking and faced Oliver's unforgiving glare.

"Nixon was going to ruin me. Ruin us both. I did what I had to do." Helena said.

"I said I would handle it." Oliver said.

"As if I was going to rely on your help, I saw an opportunity and went for it." Helena snapped. Oliver burst in as she looked at him pleadingly. "I did it for us both."

"For me?" Oliver scoffed as he whirled around, glaring at her. "He died in my apartment! My living room is a crime scene now! I'm not sloppy but I can't afford setbacks like this!"

"I thought that the poison would kick in while he was on the road. A convenient car accident." Helena said. "They're not gonna find traces of the poison, anyway. There's nothing that can tie me to his death."

"How did you do it?" Oliver asked.

"Does it matter?" Helena asked.

"Does it matter to you, if you go to—"

"I'm not going to prison." Helena sneered. "Never." She sighed. "Nixon has this bad habit. He liked to chew on his pens. I might have laced one of them with something undetectable."

"You better hope it isn't." Oliver warned.

"I know so. I wish I just had a chance to destroy his article too." Helena sighed.

"I already took care of it." Oliver said as she looked at him in shock. "I was in his apartment. Trying to find some leverage for my now-defunct plan to shut him up and I wiped everything he had on you and me."

Helena looked grateful. "Thank you…"

"I read Nixon's research before I erased it. You killed your fiancé because he didn't want family?" Oliver asked.

Helena shook her head. "No. It was the other way around. I wanted a family but he didn't. I miscarried, eventually. Like I told you, nature adds and subtracts. Don't you see? That's something you and I need. We… need this."

Helena neared him, staring and for some reason, Oliver could feel the attraction, as much as he was trying to deny it. Next thing they both knew, they kissed fiercely as she unbuttoned Oliver's shirt and they went into the bedroom, while Oliver took off her top and unclipped her bra as they laid down on bed, while Oliver went from her shoulders down to her arms and then breasts as she moaned.

The routine continued until they were both in bed, with the sheet their only piece of clothing as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Feels good, doesn't it?" Helena smirked as she ran her fingers down the scars on Oliver's bare chest.

"Maybe… but once you use that darkness to solve all of your problems… it can backfire. Trust me. I've learned that the hard way." Oliver said as he caressed Helena's back.

"What happened?" Helena asked, seeing the pain in Oliver's eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Roger Nixon was the main villain in Season 1 of Smallville as a reporter, who wanted to blackmail Lex and ended up working for him and he stalked Clark up until he discovered Clark's secret and attempted to expose him, in the end by using kryptonite to weaken him and show the world who he really is until he was killed by Lex.
> 
> Given the nature of this story, considering Nixon's role in Smallville, he would make sense here. For a good analogy, Nixon is this story's Freddy Lounds, like the reporter from Red Dragon film with Hannibal Lecter. I originally considered Iris West or Susan Williams but this is an AU, and as much as I don't like Iris, I'm not that petty to bring her in bad light in all my stories and do to her what I had done to Nixon. And I did consider using Susan but I felt Nixon would fit better.
> 
> As for Felicity's role here, she is Oliver's neighbor and friend, like in Seasons 1-2, since as much as an awful person she had become in later seasons, the Oliver/Felicity friendship in the first two seasons were great. And as for William being mentioned, for the record, he is not Oliver's son but Oliver is his legal guardian.
> 
> The next few chapters are gonna be now set in the past as a flashback storyline to fill in the background regarding Oliver's past until we get into the present with Oliver and Helena.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	3. Family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the past, Oliver delivers brutal justice to murderers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

_**Two years ago** _

A man around 40 years old was entering his car in the night before he felt a garotte around his neck. Behind him, a low male voice spoke up. "Do as I say or I will choke you to death."

"What do you want?" The man choked out.

"Drive." Oliver whispered.

The man drove towards an abandoned factory at the edge of town before Oliver tightened the grip and the man passed out.

* * *

When the man came to, he was hanging upside down and he saw on the ground and he saw two dug up skeletons.

"Martin Sommers, you have failed this city." Oliver growled.

"What… what do you want? Money?" Sommers demanded, terrified.

"Look at them." Oliver pointed at the skeletons and Sommers was terrified to look. Oliver grabbed him by his face and glared. "Open your eyes and take a look at what you did!" He snarled as Sommers sobbed. "Look at them. Look at them or I will cut your eyelids off. Either way, you will look at them." Sommers reluctantly looked at the skeletons. "It took me a while to clean up the bodies and put the pieces back together. Victor and Emily Nocenti. Do you remember them?"

"Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord—"

"Save it." Oliver smacked Sommers on his cheek. "That never helped anyone."

"Look, I'll give you whatever you want…" Sommers sobbed.

"How many people have you killed that begged for their lives?" Oliver sneered.

"I had no choice, I offered them a lot of money but they wouldn't sell their place for my factory, you need to understand, I had no choice…" Sommers said.

"Maybe. But you need to make the best out of a bad situation." Oliver growled.

"Please, please, don't, please…"

"Just like I have to. They could never tie you to their deaths. I'll make sure they get the justice they need." Oliver said. He pulled out a knife and Sommers cried out in fear as the last thing he saw was the flash of shining steel.

* * *

**_The following morning_ **

"They found Sommers's pieces at the shore of Starling Bay." Patty said.

"That's horrible." Oliver said, feigning horror.

"Can't say I'll lose any sleep over his death." Patty shrugged, drinking coffee as they approached Barry. "What do we got?"

Barry lifted a sheet to reveal a dismembered corpse that was pale. Almost like if it was exposed to cold. "Exsanguinated. In good shape. Couldn't ID her yet, since the fingerprints are damaged and the blood's too frozen to ID. Whoever did this…"

"…was clean. Pro. Knew what they were doing." Oliver nodded. "And the way it was dismembered, was precise. Almost like with a ruler."

"I made a dental impression of the victim's jaw. Hope that gives us something." Barry said. "And judging by how solid the layer of ice is…"

"…they can't have been frozen for more than a few hours." Oliver said.

"It's hard to determine time of death. We found two more bodies in three-block area. Same M.O." Patty nodded.

"Maybe the killer used an ice truck to scatter around the bodies? I mean, ice would surely melt within minutes, hours at most. This one seems well preserved." Oliver said.

"I'll see what we can get from the local CCTV footage." Barry said. "I'll call you if I get something. What do you think?"

"Our perp was a pro. That much is for sure." Oliver said.

"If I get something more, I'll call you." Barry said.

Unknowing to them, a whitehaired man was observing Oliver from a distance with goggles. Something about Oliver fascinated him.

* * *

Oliver rang the doorbell as a young woman with dirty blonde hair smiled at him upon opening the door. "Hey, Ollie."

"Hey, Sara." Oliver said.

Sara let him in a little boy hugged him tightly. "Uncle Ollie!"

"Hey! Master William! How about a flight to the moon?" Oliver picked William up and did a space shuttle. He then picked cups of ice cream from a bag. "Vanilla. Chocolate. Strawberry."

"No coffee?" William asked.

"Which ice cream melts faster?" Oliver teased.

* * *

"Thanks for coming by." Sara kissed Oliver on his cheek as he hugged her.

"Whatever I can do for kids." Oliver promised.

* * *

"The bodies were identified as young girls. Iris West. Kate Kane. Lana Lang. All women with families from prominent background. Deceased cop dad. A four-star colonel. Widow to a high-class one-percenter. I think we have a match on the ice truck." Barry said as he checked the computer. "It belongs to Tannhauser Industries."

"Let's go." Patty said.

* * *

"Carla Tannhauser?" Patty asked, showing her badge to Carla as she entered her office with Barry and Oliver.

"Can I help you?" Carla asked.

"Detective Patty Spivot. CSI Barry Allen. Oliver Queen. Consultant. One of your trucks might be a suspect in a series of murders. Frozen and preserved bodies that are then dismembered." Patty said.

"Oh…" Carla paled. "Oh, my God…"

"What? Do you know something?" Oliver asked.

"Uh… unfortunately, I think I have a very good idea." Carla said as she sat down. "I read about the murders but just to be sure, do you believe it was an ice truck?"

"That much we suspect." Barry confirmed and Carla sighed, wiping her face.

"You're looking for my ex-husband. Thomas." Carla said.

"What happened?" Oliver asked.

"Two years ago… we brought our daughter to see our laboratories. She wanted to work here but Thomas accidentally locked her up in a freezer. We didn't know until she…" Carla muffled a sob, covering her mouth.

"We're sorry to hear that. Do you know where he is now?" Patty asked.

"I have a good idea." Carla said.

* * *

"This is where they went with Caitlin, when they were kids." Patty said as she looked around the ice skate arena with Barry and Oliver as she readied her gun. "Barry, Oliver, stay close."

They looked around until they were in what seemed to be a cooling ventilation for the ice skate arena as they heard clanking.

"Hey!" Oliver looked up to see a shadow run on a catwalk. "Go from the other side, I'll cut him off!"

Barry and Patty climbed up the ladder as Oliver ran from the other side. The man threw some barrels, blocking Patty's and Barry's way. Oliver managed to get ahead as he pinned Thomas to a wall.

"Thomas Snow. You have failed this city." Oliver growled.

"Who are you? You're no cop." Thomas sneered.

"I'm the justice you can't run from." Oliver said. Thomas pulled out a butcher knife and attempted to cut Oliver but Oliver dodged and punched Thomas in the face. Thomas again swung the knife but Oliver grabbed him by his arm and pinned him to a catwalk railing until Thomas fell over and Thomas yelped as he held Oliver by his wrist.

"Help! Don't let me fall! Please!" Thomas cried out.

"Why wouldn't I?" Oliver whispered. "You've killed three women. Why?"

"Spoiled brats." Thomas sneered. "They never earned what they got, they had it handled on their plates. Catie had to work hard to become a doctor and it was all squandered for nothing. She wanted to be like them. And it was my fault I failed her. But I'll make sure that they'll get what they deserve. I'm not going to jail. You think you're better than me? You're not. I'll show you. You may be happy now… but sooner or later, everyone around you is going to suffer because of who you are. You're going to lose… just like I lost—"

"We can all meet the Devil with all our sins laid bare." Oliver growled as he saw Patty near them as he started to fake losing grip and Thomas's eyes widened, realizing what was Oliver going to do. "Hey! Hang on! I'm losing my grip on—"

Oliver let go as Thomas screamed, falling to his demise.

Patty neared Oliver and stared in disbelief until they heard 'crash' on the ground. "Oliver…"

"I… I couldn't hold on…" Oliver said as Patty stared in disbelief.

* * *

"Oliver, what happened?" Patty asked.

"I cornered him and I tried to… I tried but I couldn't pull him up…" Oliver said, faking disturbance but Patty looked skeptical as her eyes narrowed.

"I guess… it was an accident." Patty said. It was obvious to Oliver she wanted to look the other way and not know the details. "You tried to catch him and save him but you failed."

"Patty—"

"Save it." Patty interrupted as she raised her hands and walked away. "Just… I don't want to know, OK?" She felt that Oliver's actions were to an extent justified but she didn't want to have on her conscience intentional murder, deciding to look the other way.

* * *

Oliver entered his car until he saw in the reflection of the window Roger Nixon taking pictures as he whirled around and glared.

"So, PI kills a serial killer?" Nixon smirked as he approached Oliver.

"That's not what happened." Oliver sneered.

Nixon smirked. He was one of the few people seeing through Oliver's mask. "So what happened? Did he slip? Or did you let go? People think you're a loose cannon. What are you? A hero? A murderer?"

"I don't do this for glory." Oliver said.

"I guess we'll see what you are." Nixon smirked.

* * *

Oliver was in his apartment as Felicity was vacuuming the kitchen.

"A private investigator throws a killer to death? Sounds like bullshit." Felicity said as she glanced at the newspapers. "You would never do something like this on a whim. Would you?

Oliver chuckled. "Thanks, Felicity, you're sweet."

"Anytime, Oliver." Felicity said before the phone rang and she answered it. "Hello? Oliver Queen's apartment, this is neighbor. Detective Lance, hi, what can I—" She paused. "Oh. I… I'm so sorry."

"It's for you." Felicity said, looking saddened and Oliver could tell it was bad news. "It's Sara. She… well, it's best if you listen for yourself."

Oliver's heart shattered as he picked the phone. "Yes, Quentin?" Then he froze, not believing what was he hearing. "Heart attack? God, Quentin, I… I don't even know what to… me, a guardian for William? I… I need to think about this."

He sighed and sat down, shock flooding through him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those familiar with Dexter can tell the references to Season 1 and Season 4. As for Sara, I didn't want to do with her what the show did later with Rita, and heart attack seemed more painless than... those who are familiar with Dexter can imagine. Those who like Sara as a character, I'm not gonna risk any possible triggers.
> 
> One more chapter in the flashbacks, then 2-3 more in the present that are gonna end the story. I said in the beginning that I wasn't planning on making this story long.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	4. Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver deals with a corrupt ADA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"She had a big heart." Oliver said, giving an eulogy. "Big enough for the whole family. She always filled this… void inside me. And… she helped me find something I didn't realize I had been looking for my whole life. She was a good person. At least she left without pain. I just…" He sighed. "I wish we had more time together. But I know that I need to try… to… honor her…" He turned to Quentin and William. "…by being the man she'd want me to be for her family. Goodbye, Sara." He knelt to the gravestone and put his hand on it, as stray tear rolled down his cheek.

* * *

"Mr. Queen, considering the circumstances, there's the matter of custody. She named you as William's legal guardian in case of her death." Rachel Dawes said as they sat at the desk.

"Me?" Oliver was taken aback. "Why not Mr. Lance?"

"Well, she is uncertain that Detective Lance is fit for being a parent of a young child, considering his line of work and past… issues." Rachel said and Oliver nodded. Occasional alcoholism.

"Still, I'm surprised I'm listed as William's guardian." Oliver admitted. "She didn't choose anyone else?"

"Well, no other next of kin and you're the only one she has listed as a guardian." Rachel said.

"I don't know…" Oliver trailed off, looking at the papers, unsure.

"Mr. Queen, I understand if you need some time to think about it but if I don't get your answer by the end of the week, I'm afraid William will have to end with social services. My number's in the envelope." Rachel said.

"I'll let you know once I've made up my mind." Oliver said, reading the will.

Rachel nodded before putting her papers into her case. "Very well. I'm truly sorry for your loss, Mr. Queen. Good day."

She left the apartment and closed the door as Oliver considered.

* * *

"As one of Star City's prosecutors, I promise to dedicate my career to fight crime, to make our streets safe for everyone. Every family, no matter of what social status, deserves the full measure of our devotion to their dignity. And now that the crime has touched my family in the most profound way unimaginable, I grieve equally for every family that has become victim of the evil poisoning our city. And I promise to make sure our streets our safe." The man said to the mics at SCPD.

"Hey, who's this guy?" Oliver asked as he was approaching Patty.

"Adrian Chase. The new Assistant District Attorney. Quite an ambitious hard-ass." Patty said.

"Chase. I've heard of him." Oliver nodded.

"Watch out. You don't want to get on this guy's radar." Patty said, giving Oliver a look. "I may not agree with your methods, Oliver but I get them. He… might not be so forgiving. Just… promise me that you'll show some restraint, OK?"

Oliver sighed. "I promise."

* * *

Oliver and Patty and Barry were examining another crime scene in an apartment as Chase entered.

"Can we help you, Mr. Chase?" Patty asked.

"I'd like to see the local police department at work. And you must be Oliver Queen." Chase smiled, offering Oliver his hand.

"Mr. Chase." Oliver narrowed his eyes as he shook his hand with Chase. There was something… off about him.

"I've heard you're something like the Sherlock Holmes here." Chase said.

"You could say that." Oliver said as Barry and Patty were done examining the crime scene.

"Care to tell me what happened here?" Chase gestured at the mess. "It's like a wreck."

"It's more like a story, once you put the pieces together." Oliver said.

"And what story, might I ask, is that, in this case, Mr. Queen?" Chase asked, as if he wanted Oliver to humor him.

Oliver gestured at the corner of the room. "That's where the fight started." Then he gestured towards the marks on the floor. "Miss Nguyen attempted to drag Mr. Harper here." He gestured to the bloodstain on the carpet and glass shards. "Harper picked a glass vase, hit her in the head. Blunt force trauma."

"Signs of brutal struggle." Barry supplied, as he showed the shattered table and another bloodstain. "Harper defended himself. The blood spatter suggests defensive wound."

"Jade picks a knife, attempts to slice Harper, cuts him in the arm." Oliver said.

Patty gestured to the table again and the corpse. "Harper then slams her to the table and…"

"…she ends up with a knife in her heart. Self-defense." Chase nodded. "My brother is Special Forces, he taught me some things. Any idea why exactly did they fight in the first place?"

"Well, Harper has no priors, save for some speed tickets but Miss Nguyen… drugs. And Harper had her committed into rehab. Twice. Neighbors said that they argued about it a lot lately. Perhaps an argument that got out of hand and he defended himself." Barry said.

"I'll make some calls, see if I can make sure Harper faces no charges." Chase said before narrowing his eyes at Oliver. "You… are something else, Mr. Queen."

He left and Oliver narrowed his eyes at him. Something was off about Chase, that was for sure. Oliver had seen that look before. Oliver then noticed the watch Chase had. Very expensive piece.

* * *

Oliver then entered the precinct and saw Chase and another man argue with Lieutenant Pike.

"What's going on there? What's Chase doing here and who's that other guy?" Oliver asked.

"Dorian Chase. Sheriff's Department." Barry explained. "ADA is trying to bust his big brother out of some deep creek."

"We busted him for kidnapping and torturing Derek Sampson." Patty said. "Drug dealer. He wanted to squeeze out of him who are the suppliers. Son of a bitch's lucky that he's got an attorney in the family."

"It was an off-the-grid investigation!"

"That's what you call false imprisonment?!"

"I'm not gonna get railroaded for doing your department's job!"

"Dorian, you're looking at a life sentence." Chase pleaded with his brother.

"That little prick ain't even pressing charges." Dorian scoffed.

"But this department will. One of our detectives will." Pike said. "Unless you give up your badge and a gun, Sheriff Chase."

"What, you're asking me to what? Roll over?" Dorian demanded incredulously.

"Get some professional help!" Pike snapped, running out of patience.

"They've been at this for two hours." Barry said.

"Listen, there's so much we can do to keep the Chase name off the papers and—"

"Fine." Dorian snapped, putting on the desk his gun and badge.

"Mr. Queen. I'd like you to meet me in the conference room. Now." Pike said as he went out from his office.

* * *

Oliver, Barry, Chase, Pike, Quentin and District Attorney Kate Spencer were in the conference room as Barry handed a file on the desk.

"Here's the preliminary report on Sampson, as requested." Barry said.

"Why am I here, Lieutenant?" Oliver asked.

"In case we need a third party's opinion on the ongoing investigation, Mr. Queen." Pike said.

"My client requests the news media to allow him to make a statement." Spencer said. "And charges will be reduced to manslaughter." Chase scoffed in disgust as Spencer glared. "And also… conjugal visits."

"Do you have some shame? Besides, this case is a sham!" Chase snapped.

"Blood at the scene belonged to Derek Sampson." Barry said.

"The evidence is compelling and there's no indication of another guilty party involved." Oliver confirmed.

"Still, I'm afraid it may not hold up in the court." Spencer said. "Besides, considering that Mr. Queen is involved and we know how… unstable he might be during the investigation of a crime, how can we be certain he didn't plant the evidence himself?"

"Mr. Queen has alibi, Miss Spencer." Quentin said. "Dozens of people can confirm his whereabouts at the approximate time of death."

"Might as well add slander to aiding and abetting." Chase sneered at Spencer in disgust.

"I'm not the one at the trial." Spencer said, trying to sound calm.

"You should be." Chase said, not bothering to mask the disgust and venom in his tone.

"Enough!" Spencer snapped. "Have you no integrity? Getting your brother off with a slap on the wrist!"

Pike intervened. "Alright, I think we should all calm—"

"If Derek Sampson kills again, while you pursue this bullshit, that blood's on your hands! Or do you not care?!" Chase exploded.

"Do I not care?" Spencer scoffed. "You spout about justice and Constitution, except about everyone deserving a fair trial—"

"While you set free scumbags to paint more innocent blood on the face of the Earth, while you get a few more bucks in your pocket and more score points for your election—"

"Enough!" Pike yelled and there was silence in the room for a whole minute before Pike turned to Oliver and Barry. "Barry, Oliver, can you give us the room, please?"

"Sure."

"Yeah." Barry and Oliver left.

"Bureaucracy and our tax dollars at work." Oliver drawled.

"Look, I may not like Kate Spencer but she is just doing her job, you can't blame her for that." Barry said.

"Yeah, I know. But I can imagine a lot of people, Chase included, being pissed about it." Oliver said.

* * *

The following day, when Oliver read about Dorian being transferred to Portsmouth due to his extreme cases of misconduct, he thought, one problem solved. But then he read about Spencer being found dead this morning.

* * *

"How exactly did this happen?" Oliver asked as he was in the morgue with Barry.

"M.O. suggests precision. The cuts. Special Forces." Barry said, showing the wounds. "Whoever did this, was trained. Knew what he was doing."

Barry and Patty didn't want to admit to themselves it was Chase but Oliver knew better. He knew it the moment he saw that look in Chase's eyes and this just confirmed it.

* * *

Chase was entering his house, when he saw Oliver at the doorstep. "Mr. Queen."

"Mr. Chase." Oliver smiled politely.

Chase already knew why was he here. "You came here to kill me?"

"I haven't decided. Before I make up my mind, I want to know why." Oliver said.

"Why what?" Chase acted dumb.

"Save it. Special Forces training suggested killing with precision. You said it yourself that your brother taught you some moves—"

Chase laughed. "All you have is circumstantial evidence and educated guesses, no hard evidence. What do I have? I have the City Hall behind me! Besides, you have blood on your hands too!"

"They had it coming. Unlike Spencer. And besides, I never killed unless I really had to." Oliver said. Well, in some cases, he wanted to kill scumbags but that was when they got away with their crimes, with no evidence to take them down. "Besides, assuming if I really was the killer you believe me to be, it's not like there's evidence to tie me to their deaths."

"Maybe in a court of law. But what if your friends, the pretty blonde detective and the lab geek start to ask questions? Or your neighbor? The blonde girl with the glasses?" Chase taunted. "What happens if I give an anonymous tip. I could arrange a search warrant. How is Barry, Patty, Quentin or Felicity gonna feel?"

"They know everything they need to know." Oliver said, turning on some switch in his pocket. "But you… you, I can't figure out."

"No one crosses me. Not you, not Spencer and not the police. I didn't get where I got, without getting my hands dirty. Spencer had it coming! You got nothing on me!" Chase said.

"I do." Oliver said, narrowing his eyes. "I see now who you really are. You can't be reasoned with, guilted, controlled. What's the point of this back-and-forth game for leverages?"

"That's right!" Chase sneered. "I do what I want, to who I want, wherever I want! I crushed Spencer like the insignificant bug she was! And I'm gonna do the same to you!"

Chase was about to pull out his knife and stab Oliver but a second later, Patty burst in with her gun ready. "Freeze! Drop the knife, get down on your knees and put your hands behind your head! Now!"

Oliver pulled the collar of his shirt, revealing to have been wired the whole time. Chase seethed and seemingly complied, raising his hands but suddenly, he pulled out of his jacket a gun, shooting Patty in the shoulder.

"Patty!" Oliver cried out.

As Chase aimed at Oliver, Oliver disarmed him swiftly before slamming him to a chair. Oliver kicked him back as they got up, exchanging blows. Oliver dodged Chase's left hook and kicked him in the stomach. Chase slammed Oliver to the wall but Oliver smashed a trophy at his face, dazing him before Oliver hit him again, knocking him out. Normally, Oliver would finish Chase off but he couldn't kill him in front of Patty.

Oliver knelt towards Patty, who was bleeding out, holding her wound. "You OK?"

"I'm fine." Patty groaned.

"Hang on, OK?" Oliver said as the officers apprehended Chase, while medics tended to Patty.

* * *

Oliver was lucky that the police didn't record the whole conversation, otherwise they would arrest him too. But as he visited Barry, he heard something that angered him.

"Patty bled out badly. She didn't suffer any permanent damage but her shoulder… it's gonna take weeks of physical therapy before she recovers." Barry said sadly.

Oliver sighed and his blood internally boiled. Chase hurt his friend. No way Oliver was going to let him walk away with it.

* * *

Oliver and Barry entered the cell, with Barry pulling out a swab and taking samples of Chase's saliva from his mouth, while Oliver was overseeing that Chase wouldn't attack Barry before Barry left.

"I'll be right there, Barry." Oliver said and Barry nodded, while Oliver sat down, facing Chase.

"I know what you're thinking. I'm a monster. But the thing is, you and I are not so different, Oliver." Chase taunted. "The moment I looked at you, I knew it. Why deny it? You leave behind a trail of bodies too."

Oliver glared as he handed Chase some form and a pen, as Chase signed the confession. "You know, the difference between you and me is… you have nothing. No family. No friends. Nothing worth living for. You're an animal. I only do this to protect my family and friends."

"That's why you came?" Chase smirked. "To tell me you have conscience?"

"No." Oliver glared, dark look in his eyes. "I came here to kill you with that pen."

Oliver and Chase glanced at the pen on the desk. Chase grabbed it but that was exactly what Oliver counted on as he dodged and made Chase stab Oliver in the shoulder. Oliver slammed Chase's face to the desk, dazing him before he pulled out the pen and pierced Chase's carotid artery.

Chase glared and gagged before falling down and bleeding out, gasping for air. Playing his act, Oliver pressed the alarm button and stepped back, leaning onto the wall, acting terrified as guards entered.

"What happened here?" The guard demanded, looking shocked at the sight of the scene.

"He tried to kill me…" Oliver breathed out, sounding horrified.

* * *

Quentin, Hilton and Pike were examining the footage, which showed Oliver's back and covering Chase's face, so it was hard to tell what exactly happened but they had a pretty good idea as they eyed Oliver warily. Oliver was lucky there was no audio in the footage, otherwise he would be facing prison.

"Oliver, would you like to explain what happened?" Quentin asked.

"I wanted to make sure that Chase wouldn't hurt Barry. And then I wanted to tell him he was going to face justice." Oliver said.

"But… you're not even a member of the department, how are we supposed to explain this?" Pike questioned.

"I haven't submitted the form that I finished my investigation on Chase and that I am no longer a part of the case." Oliver said.

"OK… but…" Pike trailed off.

"I needed to look him in the eye." Oliver said.

Quentin, Hilton and Pike suspected the reason Oliver came to see Chase but they decided not to dig into it. Patty was Oliver's friend. In his place, if Chase had hurt someone close to them, they probably would have done the same thing, after what Chase had done.

"Fine." Hilton nodded. "I can understand that."

"The footage obviously shows that it was self-defense." Quentin said. While they were disturbed that Oliver did that, they felt that his actions were justified, deciding to turn a blind eye.

"I think we have everything we needed." Pike said, turning off the TV.

"Just wish I'd done it myself." Quentin sneered in disgust.

"I should go see William." Oliver said, getting up and walking away.

"We'll call you, when Patty wakes up." Pike said.

* * *

Patty was in the hospital room, with a respirator tube attached to her mouth as Barry came to visit her with flowers in his hands.

* * *

Oliver returned home and saw Felicity babysitting William and she smiled at him. "Hey. I heard about Patty. Is she OK?"

"She's sedated but the doctors said she'll recover in few days." Oliver said.

"Let me know if you need anything." Felicity said.

Oliver nodded as she left and then Oliver came to play with William, smiling. Until he got an alert on the news and saw a news article from Nixon, suggesting that Oliver murdered Chase in cold blood. But Oliver didn't care what people thought about him. Most people would dismiss those claims but Nixon was like a leech.

Oliver considered squeezing him but right now he was too tired to do so as he continued playing with William, honoring Sara's wish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just couldn't resist using Rachel Dawes as cameo here. I know, she was a horrible person in TDK but in Batman Begins, while I didn't really care about the romance with Bruce, she wasn't that bad. Frankly, Season 1 Laurel Lance reminded me in most ways of Rachel.
> 
> Chase killed with a pen is ironic on so many levels, isn't it? * chuckles *
> 
> One more flashback storyline before returning to the present, which will all end with few chapters.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	5. Scarred

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When hunting down another criminal, Oliver finds a witness who puts a wedge into his plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Oliver had broken into an apartment of one Vincent Sobel. A corrupt cop, who used be on Bratva's payroll for Bratva before he testified against them and walked free. Oliver had cut a deal with one Anatoly Knyazev, since Oliver owed him a favor for Anatoly making sure no one would connect Oliver to his own murders. Kill Vincent as a debt and they would be even.

Vincent had returned from his trip as noticed that someone had picked the lock to his house. Vincent pulled out his gun and looked around but was startled to hear the TV. Vincent narrowed his eyes before someone knocked him out from behind.

* * *

Vincent was in the basement of his house, in chains as around him were on the walls photos taped to them.

"Vincent Sobel, you have failed this city." Oliver said.

"What do you want?" Vincent demanded as Oliver showed the photos on the wall.

"Do you remember them?" Oliver asked. "These are your victims."

"You're Oliver Queen." Vincent laughed. "I've heard about you."

Oliver showed him a photo. "Sean Sonus. Do you remember him? You put three bullets into him."

"He was gonna run. Just like he would as always with his drugs." Vincent scoffed.

"And when you were gonna arrest his men, you beat up a kid, who had lost her home and was just trying to make some living and worked as a delivery girl. Cindy Simone. Sin." Oliver showed Vincent another photo. "Cripple. Broken leg for a month. All she did, was making some bad choices."

"She made her choice. Scum, like scum." Vincent growled.

"She surrendered but you executed the other gangsters and she ran away in fear before you kneecapped her." Oliver reminded.

"Let me out of here." Vincent demanded.

"Do you even remember your victims?" Oliver repeated.

"I put them out of their misery. That's not a life to live." Vincent snapped.

"Just as I'm going to put you out of your misery." Oliver said and he grabbed Vincent by his throat and there was 'crack' before Vincent slumped back, light leaving his eyes.

Oliver then heard clanging as he turned to the door behind him. Oliver opened the door to reveal a woman with golden brown hair with her clothes ripped as she curled to the ball, terrified.

"Hey, hey. I'm not gonna hurt you." Oliver raised his hands but the woman ran off. Oliver held her in chokehold as she screamed, trying to struggle out. "Stop! Stop!"

"Help!" The woman screamed before she passed out from the hold. Oliver paled. She saw him. That certainly complicated things for him.

* * *

As the woman came to, she noticed that she was in a bed, in bandages and that someone had treated her injuries. "Who… what…" She turned her head to see Oliver as she stared in disbelief.

"Hello, Dinah." Oliver said as she stared in disbelief.

"Who are you?" Dinah asked. "How do you know my name?"

"I'm Oliver." He introduced himself as he pulled out a file. "I researched you. Dinah Drake. A bartender from National City. Reported missing last month." He offered her some pills and a bottle of water. "Aspirin and water. Antibiotics. You had quite a fever." Dinah looked wary, afraid of Oliver as he gave her an assuring smile. "I'm not gonna drug you, don't worry." He swallowed one of the pills. "Nothing. You see?" He offered her the bottle. "You are dehydrated. You need… easy." He held Dinah gently as she got up and saw the scars on her back. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"Where am I?" Dinah whispered.

"Somewhere safe. Far from Vince." Oliver assured.

"I'm not taking any drugs." Dinah declined.

"I'm just trying to help you. Please." Oliver insisted and she sighed.

"OK." Dinah offered her hand as Oliver handed her the pill as she dropped it. "Damn." Oliver bent to pick the pill but Dinah used the opening to run to the door before Oliver grabbed her. "Get off me! Get off me! Help! Help!"

"I'm trying to help you!" Oliver insisted.

"Let me out!" Dinah screamed.

"Stop! Stop! Calm down! I'm not gonna hurt you!"

"Help!"

"Stop!" Oliver tightened the grip as Dinah calmed down after taking deep breaths. "I'm gonna let you go but don't run or don't scream, OK? Let me show you something."

Dinah relaxed as Oliver let her go.

* * *

Oliver showed Dinah some barrels at the bayou outside the city. Oliver opened one of the barrels and Dinah groaned at the smell as she saw a dead body inside it.

"This. This is what was going to happen to you. Vince ditches his victims in barrels full of formaldehyde which preserves the bodies. That could've been you." Oliver said.

Dinah breathed out, eying Oliver warily. "How do I know you didn't kill these girls and that you're not trying to earn my trust?"

"You don't." Oliver said. "It's a leap of faith… for you and me. If not for me, you'd probably be dumped at the bottom of the bay by now."

"What are you expecting from me? Thank you? Or are you asking me if I'm not going to tell anyone who you are or what you've done? Because I doubt anyone's gonna believe me." Dinah drawled.

"I want to show you that you have nothing to be afraid of from me." Oliver said. "A friend of mine got hurt by someone like Vince. She's a good person. I want to make sure nothing like that happens again to anyone else."

Dinah stared. For some reason, she believed him.

* * *

Oliver drove Dinah back to the city as she stared.

"I honestly thought you were going to kill me or worse." Dinah said.

"I'm not a monster." Oliver promised.

Dinah sighed. "One day they broke into my place. I was locked up. Can't remember where or how long it was." She clenched her fists as Oliver saw in her eyes reliving the pain. "But it was horrible. There were times I wanted to die to make it stop. When I begged them to kill me."

"It's over. Vince is dead." Oliver assured. "You can go home. To your parents. They miss you."

Dinah shook her head. "I can't. It's not that simple."

"You need to find a way to heal. And you can't do it alone." Oliver said.

"Vince wasn't the only one who did this to me." Dinah admitted and Oliver was shocked. "There are others. It's not over yet." She revealed.

* * *

After letting her take a shower and giving her some clean clothes, Oliver met with Dinah in a café in the morning.

"Why the disappointed look, Oliver?" Dinah asked. "As if you were expecting an empty table. You wanted to get rid of me?"

Oliver sighed. "You haven't considered my advice?"

"Leave town?" Dinah snorted.

"Go home. You have a family, Dinah." Oliver insisted.

"I told you why I can't go back." Dinah shook her head.

"You go down this path, you're gonna open something inside you you're gonna wish you had kept locked in and there's no way you can close it anymore, if you do it. Trust me." Oliver said. "The best thing you can do is walk away and try to find a way to heal. I know how you're feeling. You think that what they did to you, scraped away pieces of your soul and you don't even know who you are anymore. Once you touch that darkness, it's gonna stay with you forever. And when it does… well, there's no way you get a happy ending."

"How do you expect me to move past this? If something horrible had happened to you, could you just simply move on and forget?" Dinah asked.

Oliver sighed, folding his arms. "I'd wish I could. I'd try."

"But if you couldn't, then what?" Dinah challenged as Oliver noticed how she was scratching the surface of the table with her fingernails. Obvious signs of PTSD. She hadn't gotten over it yet. "I saw what you did. Help me find the man who did this."

"So you could kill him?" Oliver protested.

"I saw you do the same to Vince." Dinah pointed out.

"Refill?" The waiter said as Dinah was silent.

"Yes, please." Oliver let the waiter refill his mug before she left.

"It's too late for me to turn back. But it's not for you." Oliver said. "Go home to your parents. Find a way to heal."

"If you won't help me, why bother with me?" Dinah snapped.

"I _am_ trying to help you." Oliver said, showing Dinah an envelope. Dinah opened it to see strap of cash, a passport and a plane ticket as she snorted.

"You expect me to leave?" Dinah demanded.

"Leave this behind. Let me handle this." Oliver pleaded.

Dinah looked disgusted. "Are you trying to get rid of me?"

"I want you to move on with your life. At least try." Oliver said. Dinah scoffed before taking the envelope. Oliver relaxed. At least she decided to move on, or so Oliver thought at the time. He couldn't shake this feeling that he had not seen the last of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This felt like a good point to stop. The next chapter will conclude the storyline with Dinah before returning to the present with Helena.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	6. Finding peace

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver helps Dinah facing the men, who had wronged her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

Oliver had returned to Vince's place but he saw papers lying around and drawers and closets opened. Someone had already been here, searching for clues. Oliver looked at the envelopes and files but they were empty. Whoever Vince was working with, must have been trying to cover up any traces of their existence.

Oliver found a bloodied fingerprint on one of the envelopes.

* * *

"Come on. I almost got you! No!" Felicity moaned as she and William were playing on PlayStation "Injustice" video game.

"Gotcha!" William laughed.

"I'm gonna get you." Felicity sneered mockingly. Oliver entered as Felicity turned around. "Oh, Oliver's here."

"Hi, Uncle Ollie." William said.

"Hey." Oliver smiled as Felicity turned off the PlayStation.

"I guess that's my cue to leave. See you tomorrow, OK?" Felicity kissed William on his forehead before kissing Oliver on his cheek. "Thanks that you came back. I almost was gonna have my eyeballs popped out."

"No problem. Thanks for looking out for him tonight." Oliver assured. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you." Felicity left Oliver's apartment.

"OK, William, time to go to bed." Oliver said, picking William up.

"OK." William nodded.

"How's it been going tonight, William?" Oliver asked.

"School was nice." William said. "Felicity makes nice food."

"I hope you're OK." Oliver said, putting him to bed.

"Uncle Ollie? Are you going to tell me a story?" William asked.

Oliver considered. "Alright. How about a story about Merlin and the Knights of the Round Table…"

* * *

As soon as William was asleep, Oliver was working on the fingerprint, hacking into the database to compare it and finding a match. But… no match. Oliver tried something else. If the fingerprint was not in criminal database, there was also Department of Motor Vehicles.

Oliver typed away on the laptop and well, what do you know? Dinah Drake. She broke into Vince's house.

Oliver picked his phone and cleared his throat, trying to make his voice deeper and unrecognizable. " _Department of Motor Vehicles, how can we help?_ "

"This is Officer Martin Hurst, Starling City Police Department, I have a speed ticket for Dinah Drake but I couldn't find her current address, may I ask where she resides currently?" Oliver said.

* * *

Oliver drove towards Pell Hotel and knocked on the door of Dinah's room but no one answered. She wasn't home. Figures. Oliver pulled out a lockpick and opened the door and as he entered, he was shocked to see, sticky notes, map of the U.S. and news clippings about women abducted and kidnapped and profiles of known convicted rapists.

"Oh, my God…" Oliver whispered.

Dinah did her homework and she certainly was obsessed with finding out what had happened to her. She was more broken than he had thought. Oliver then saw an opened closet and on the floor a blanket and pillow, with the closet as a makeshift bed and Oliver wiped his face. The ordeal she had been put through must have traumatized her more than Oliver had thought. A closet was the only place she felt safe. She was becoming obsessed. Oliver couldn't let her go unchecked.

Oliver found a letter on the desk as he picked it up. It was from Vincent's former cellmate, Kyle Nimbus. He was asking for a place to sleep.

Dinah's next target. If Oliver didn't do something, either she would get herself killed or caught and if she were to tell anyone about Oliver… he would go down with her.

* * *

Knowing she would return to the café, Oliver waited for her and as Dinah took her order from the barista, she was approaching her table but was shocked to see Oliver. Keeping on a straight face, she sat across him.

"I know what you're doing." Oliver said.

"Having breakfast?" Dinah shrugged.

"You're looking for the guys who hurt you." Oliver said.

Dinah's eyes narrowed as she snorted. "Are you stalking me?"

"What are you going to do, once you track one of them down?" Oliver inquired.

"What you apparently won't." Dinah glared.

"I can't let you kill anyone." Oliver said.

"You're in no position to tell me what I can or cannot do. I asked for your help. You turned me down. What I do, is therefore none of your business." Dinah sneered.

"What I did, was for your own good." Oliver pleaded.

Dinah sighed. "Listen, I'm grateful that you helped me and saved my life. But I'm not your concern anymore. So, why won't you leave me alone?"

Dinah was about to get up as Oliver held her wrist. "Dinah, wait—"

"Don't touch me!" Dinah yelled, pulling away and glaring as everyone stared at them and Oliver sighed. Her PTSD was obviously worse than he had thought.

"I'm sorry." Oliver said as Dinah relaxed.

"Five women were put in barrels. Whoever did this to you, they are smart. You can't get to them." Oliver said. "You're getting in over your head. These are dangerous people. Walk away before it's too late. Please. Let me handle this."

Dinah considered before she apparently gave in.

"How am I supposed to move on?" Dinah wondered.

"No one said it would be easy. But you can try." Oliver pleaded. "Let me handle this."

* * *

Oliver was later in his place, going over Dinah's investigation. He had put William to bed and was trying to figure out who kidnapped Dinah and raped her until his phone rang. Oliver saw a photo of a dead body and he narrowed his eyes. "What the hell?" Oliver then noticed a missed call from Dinah before he called back. "Come on, come on, pick it up, Dinah."

" _Oliver!_ "

"Dinah, what happened?" Oliver called out.

" _I… I killed one of the guys who…_ " Dinah breathed out, lost for words.

"Killed who? Where are you?" Oliver demanded.

" _In Pineswood… something… near Starling Bay._ " Dinah panted out.

"Wait, you're in Starling?" Oliver demanded.

" _I never left. Oh, God, there's so much blood…_ "

"Dinah, stay there, don't touch anything, I'm on my way!" Oliver said. He was lucky William had gone to sleep as he got up and went out, putting on his jacket.

* * *

Oliver drove to Pineswood chemical factory as Dinah waited for him.

"Did anyone see you?" Oliver asked as she was leading him to the corpse.

Dinah shook her head. "No. I don't think so. I hope not—"

"You killed a man." Oliver said.

"You wouldn't do it for me!" Dinah snapped.

"But now I have to clean up your mess!" Oliver snapped back.

"I didn't know what else was I supposed to do with the body and I—"

"Unbelievable." Oliver shook his head.

"You know what, if you're not gonna help me, then you can just leave!" Dinah exploded.

"I'm responsible for you, I can't let what you do, lead back to me!" Oliver snapped.

"I didn't think it would be so hard to kill someone!" Dinah snapped back.

"Where's the body?" Oliver demanded as Dinah led him to the place… but all that was on the floor was puddle of blood.

"He… he was right here…" Dinah whispered.

"Are you sure he was dead?" Oliver asked.

"I shot him in the chest!" Dinah snapped as Oliver leaned down and she paced back and forth, rubbing her face. "Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God…"

"Dinah. Quiet. I need to focus." Oliver said, holding her hands. "Deep breaths, OK? Just… calm down and let me handle this. Breathe, OK?" Dinah breathed out as Oliver looked down at the blood. "Must have lost at least a pint of blood." Oliver looked around with his flashlight. "Four shots. You're a lousy shot." Dinah glared. "Where were you standing, when you shot him?"

Dinah stepped towards the spot as Oliver looked around. "Bang, bang, bang, you shoot me. I go down but I get up. Where would I go?"

Oliver then saw drops of blood as he followed it, with Dinah right behind him.

"What exactly happened?" Oliver asked.

"I got grabbed at a bar. When you ditched me, I kept coming back to that place. I wore a wig and contact lenses, so that they wouldn't recognize me, hoping that one of the guys would come in." Dinah explained.

"You ever saw their faces, when they—" Oliver inquired.

"No. I was blindfolded." Dinah admitted, shaking her head. "But I remember their voices." Oliver sighed. That wasn't much helpful. "I'd recognize them, if I heard them and I did recognize one of them. But he apparently didn't. I flirted with him. When we got into the car, I pulled a gun on him and… and… and forced him to drive here. I-I-I… asked him for names, when we went out but we fought and I shot him. I was defending myself and—"

"His voice? You said you didn't see their faces. You can misremember the voices." Oliver pointed out.

"I recognized the smell. Chlorine. Sweat. When I got in the car with him, it was the exact same stench." Dinah said.

"A feeling and an odor. You shoot the guy because of that?" Oliver asked incredulously.

"It was him. I'm sure." Dinah nodded.

Oliver sighed. "Did they ever say any names? Did you check his ID in his wallet?" Dinah paused and Oliver shook his head. "You could've shot the wrong guy. For all you know, he's already called the cops and they're coming for us! You don't have any proof—"

"I am the proof!" Dinah exploded as they stopped. I remember the voices! The pain I went through—"

"That's not enough—"

"Fuck you, Oliver!" Dinah snapped. "You know what, forget I called you. I'm gonna take care of this."

Oliver snorted. "Like you took care of it the first time?" He took a breath. "Let's just get this over with." He then saw a bloodied hand mark on a support beam. "He leans here to rest. Where would he go?" He then followed the blood trail.

"What are you? A cop?" Dinah demanded.

"An investigator." Oliver said before he saw blood on a nearby payphone as he picked the receiver. "No dial tone. He wanted to call for help because he doesn't have his cellphone."

Oliver's phone rang as he answered it. "Hey, Patty. Uh-huh. I'll be right there." He hung up. "Damn it."

"What?" Dinah demanded.

"Someone heard gunshots. The police is on its way here. We've got ten minutes before they make this place a crime scene." Oliver said.

"How do you know that?" Dinah asked, not understanding. "Are you a cop?"

"A P.I. I help the police." Oliver admitted. "You could've walked away, you know."

"And I told you why I couldn't." Dinah said. "I tried to get on that plane. But I couldn't." She took a breath. "I remembered his voice. He'd shove my fingers into my mouth, so that I couldn't scream—"

"I don't want to hear it…" Oliver trailed off as he noticed that the blood trail ended at a grate. Oliver opened it to reveal a black man, who was bleeding out from his shoulder. "Is this him?"

The man looked terrified at seeing Dinah. Oliver restrained the man to the boiler, examining his wound as he put on gloves.

"Are you seriously trying to help him?" Dinah demanded incredulously.

"He's bleeding. I don't know him." Oliver said, holding his wound.

The black man shook his head, terrified. "That woman kidnapped me and shot me! I don't know why—"

"Liar! You know exactly why!" Dinah shouted.

"She's crazy—"

"You're a goddamned liar!" Dinah snapped.

"Please, don't let me die. I have a family. Please." Curtis begged.

Oliver picked the man's wallet. "Curtis Holt. Plumber. Married. Two kids."

"He's a rapist!" Dinah glared.

"I did nothing to you!" Curtis sneered. "We met in a bar. I thought we had a spark but when we entered the car, she pulled a gun on me and shot me!"

"Because you knew I recognized you and you tried to run!" Dinah sneered.

"I've never met you before in my life! She's insane!" Curtis said before Dinah kicked him and spat in his face.

"In the corner, now!" Oliver ordered to Dinah.

"What, you believe him?" Dinah demanded as she lunged at Curtis, choking him. "You son of a bitch! Look me in the eye and tell me you don't know me, you fucking liar!"

"Hey, hey, enough!" Oliver grabbed Dinah by her arm and dragged her into another room. "Enough! Calm down."

"That son of a bitch ruined my life." Dinah sneered.

"And you're ruining mine." Oliver growled before sighing. "He needs help. If we don't stop the bleeding—"

"I don't care. He deserves it. They all do." Dinah said. "I'll sleep well, knowing that they all—"

"Shh." Oliver put his hand on her mouth. "Listen."

"That crazy bitch is alive. She shot me…"

"Did you check his pockets?" Oliver asked Dinah.

"Shit." Dinah swore, realizing that Curtis had a phone.

They returned back to Curtis, who was talking to someone on the phone. He didn't sound like the innocent frightened man Oliver had met a minute ago… at the place now was a man, whose tone was full of anger and malice, just like with other evil men Oliver had met.

"That last bitch is alive…" Curtis trailed off as he slowly turned his head to face Dinah, glaring.

Dinah seethed, her face full of anger, pointing her finger at Curtis accusingly. "I knew it. I fucking knew it!"

Curtis laughed maniacally. "They'll find you… you cu—"

Having enough of it, Oliver grabbed Curtis by his throat. "Night, night."

There was a 'crack' as Curtis tilted his head, his eyes staring without seeing.

Oliver looked into Dinah's eyes, whose face was mixed with relief, anger and fear. "Now what?"

Oliver picked a hose to clean the blood and all clues left behind them, uncuffing Curtis as he stole the phone and they heard sirens blare and Oliver and Dinah ran away from the scene, vanishing into the night as Barry, Quentin, Hilton and Patty and other cops entered.

Curtis's death was later booked as abduction and murder. No one would trace it to Dinah, since they had left no clues behind, so this would eventually either go into cold cases or some other leads would pop up that would help find other suspects Oliver could hunt down.

* * *

Oliver was in his bed in his apartment as he heard shower before Dinah went out, tying a bathrobe. "Thanks. For helping me."

"I kind of figured I needed to." Oliver said as they sat on his bed.

"I saw the pictures on the wall and the boy in bed. You're a father?" Dinah asked.

Oliver took a breath. "I knew William's mother. We were close friends before she passed away. I'm his legal guardian." He smiled. "Honestly, I never thought I'd be a father but… can't say I have any complaints."

Dinah considered. "I had imagined a different life for myself too. High school, college, graduation… I was studying art, you know? I was imagining a singer career or painting. Selling pictures. Performances at bars. But then I met the wrong guy at the bar, you know?" She clenched her fists, reliving the pain. "And then I thought, 'That was it. This is how it ends for me.' But then you came and things changed."

"I can imagine." Oliver admitted. "Sobel and Holt had other friends, who did the same crap to you or helped them cover it up. Kyle Nimbus. Cyrus Vanch. They're all in for questioning. The barrels were found in their place, alongside the chemicals they ditched them in."

Dinah sighed as she stared. "I dreamt every night of putting them through what they did to me. Make them pay. Holt. Vince. All of them."

"They're going into prison. It's over." Oliver assured her as he held her hand.

"Then why am I not feeling any better?" Dinah breathed out.

"I can't promise that the pain ever goes away." Oliver held her hand. "But you need find a way to move on. Dinah, I know you feel like that darkness that you left inside, is in you forever… but you need to find a way to let go of that anger and pain. If you don't… it's going to consume you. I've been there."

Dinah turned to him as he gave her an assuring smile. They stared at each other and attraction began to form that neither of them could explain. Next thing they knew, they both kissed, Dinah unbuttoned Oliver's shirt, while he undid Dinah's robe as it fell off her and they laid down on bed.

* * *

The following morning, Dinah woke up, her head resting on Oliver's shoulder as the sunlight was finding its way into Oliver's apartment. For some reason, she felt attracted to him… but he had warned her that staying with him would only lead her down a dark path. She gently pulled away, trying not to wake Oliver up as she kissed him on his forehead.

"You're a good man, Oliver Queen. Even if you don't seem that way. You told me to find my peace. I hope you can find yours." Dinah said before she got up, looking for her clothes on the floor before she got dressed and left a letter for Oliver at the night desk. "Goodbye, Oliver."

Dinah left the apartment as she took a breath, letting the fresh air sink in. The men who had wronged her, were either dead or in prison. It was time for her to move on.

Oliver opened his eyes as he heard the door close and saw that he was alone in bed as he read Dinah's letter. He was happy for her that she was able to at least try to find her peace… so why wasn't he feeling as happy about it as he had hoped? Sara was oblivious of the darkness Oliver would dwell in. Dinah felt drawn to it until she eventually found her peace. Would Oliver ever find the right woman, who would accept both sides of him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to lead us back to the present, with one more chapter and then epilogue.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	7. Betrayal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Helena crosses the line, Oliver is forced to betray her for the greater good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

_**Present** _

"How would she even poison Nixon, assuming she did it?" Barry questioned as he and Oliver were examining the results in the CSI lab. Oliver already knew. He was tempted to kill her… but for an inexplicable reason, he could not bring himself to. Perhaps he saw something similar inside of her and thought he could help her. Perhaps he wanted to keep her in check. Either way, Oliver had to make sure she would not hurt the wrong person again. At least he had kept the pen Nixon was chewing on, in case he needed to.

* * *

"I know she did it." Patty said.

Helena was leaving the interrogation room as she listened to Patty, Pike and Quentin arguing.

"Patty, there's no concrete proof—"

"She poisoned Nixon, I know it!" Patty snapped. "Just like how she poisoned her fiancé—"

"The tox screen came back negative, Patty. Calm down." Quentin tried to assure her, holding her shoulders as Helena's eyes narrowed. She couldn't let Patty get onto her. Helena saw some pills on Patty's desk as she smirked, getting an idea.

* * *

Patty sat at the desk with Barry and Oliver as they listened to Nixon's recorder.

" _Nick stabbed the young boy over… and over… The kid screamed like crazy… he watched his parents… and… I-I tried to… but Dad hit me. He made me… I grabbed the boy and pinned him to the bed. But he kept screaming, so I covered his mouth. I just wanted him to stop screaming… But I pushed too hard… and he… suffocated…_ "

Patty turned off the recorder. "She certainly isn't innocent."

"Patty, she was a teenager." Oliver reasoned.

"How about her not allowing her fiancé's corpse to be embalmed for autopsy?" Barry pointed out. "Nixon was convinced she poisoned and killed her fiancé. But someone broke into his place and erased all evidence he had collected."

Oliver put on a straight face. He was trying to cover for her but he couldn't let them know that. "You think she did this? How? I thought the cops had her under surveillance the whole time. She has alibi." He tried to sound skeptical.

"Then someone's helping her. An accomplice." Patty said and Oliver felt a chill go down his spine. They were onto him. "Whoever it is, I don't know but either way, we can't let her walk."

"Are you asking me to kill her?" Oliver lowered his voice.

"I'm telling you, she needs to be stopped. I'm not saying I want her dead but she's too dangerous to walk free." Patty said.

"Patty… you don't want that on your conscience. Trust me." Oliver said with pleading eyes. That was partly true. He didn't want his friend to become a murderer but there was some connection between Oliver and Helena that he could not explain.

* * *

Patty entered Helena's house as she was selling some plants to a woman as she left.

"Detective Spivot. Are you in market for orchids?" Helena asked.

"I'm not interested in anything from you." Patty sneered in disgust.

"Look, I think you got the wrong—"

"Save it. I know what you've done." Patty glared at Helena.

"I think there's a lot you don't know about me." Helena shrugged.

"I've read Nixon's notes before someone conveniently got rid of them." Patty said and Helena paled. "He was a reporter. I'm a cop. I don't know what you're hiding but I will find out."

"Roger Nixon was a storyteller trying to sell a compelling story, no matter whether they were true or not." Helena denied.

"I heard the recording of your interview with him. You're a murderer." Patty countered.

"Detective, what were you doing, when you were a teenager?" Helena said. "College exams, science major, exams to become a cop? I was just some silly naïve little girl listening to her family, not knowing what was she doing. I was in over my head."

Patty snorted. She wasn't buying it.

"I'm sorry if you have the wrong idea about me but I'm not whatever you accuse me of." Helena pleaded.

Patty shook her head, walking away. "This isn't over yet."

* * *

Oliver was in his apartment as Helena called and he answered the call. " _Detective Spivot is onto me._ "

"Does she have any proof?" Oliver asked, worried.

" _Nothing yet. But she told me she was not going to give up._ " Helena said.

"Helena—"

" _Don't worry. She has nothing on me. I'm not going to do anything to her._ " Helena assured but for some reason, Oliver didn't relax.

* * *

Oliver was at the coast, looking at Felicity and William who were at the shore, playing before he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey." Helena smiled as Oliver turned to her.

"Hey. I wasn't expecting you here." Oliver said.

"I sometimes come by here for a walk. What about—"

"Oliver!"

Helena turned to see Felicity and William at the shore, playing as Helena scoffed, glaring at Oliver. "Of course. I should've known."

"No, no, no, no, no." Oliver shook his head. "It's not what you think. It's…" He sighed as he pointed at Felicity and William. "That little boy is William. I knew his mother before she passed away. We were close and I'm his legal guardian. That blonde, that's Felicity. My neighbor, she helps me take care of William and cleans up my place from time to time. We're just friends, that's all." He took a breath. "Sorry. I should've mentioned them. I didn't mean for you to get the wrong idea."

"You didn't trust me or you were afraid that it might push me away?" Helena asked, a little hurt.

"Honestly, both, I suppose." Oliver admitted.

For a few moments, they stared at each other and Oliver wondered whether Helena would reach her breaking point and get back at Oliver by hurting them. But then she smiled, holding Oliver's hand. "I'd like to meet them sometime. They're sweet. At least you have people who care about you and most people don't care what the news tell about you. I envy you, no matter what I do, I'll always be Helena Bertinelli. Daughter of a crime boss. At least you have normal life. Family. Kids."

"And you don't want that?" Oliver asked.

"There was a time I imagined myself like that." Helena admitted. "But then I figured it's not in the cards for me."

"There was a time when I thought so too." Oliver admitted. "But I'm trying."

"Oliver, come on!" Felicity called out.

"I guess I shouldn't intrude. Enjoy your time with them." Helena smiled. "I'm happy for you. Really."

Helena kissed Oliver as she walked away.

* * *

Oliver had put William into his bed as Patty entered.

"Do you have anything on Helena?" Patty asked.

"Nothing solid." Oliver lied.

Patty took a breath. "I think we need another angle. I usually don't condone it but if it comes down to it…" She then saw a flower at Oliver's counter. "Wait. I've seen that before. Helena grows them in her greenhouse. What is that doing here?"

"It was a gift from Helena. That's all." Oliver lied but Patty saw through him as she snorted in disgust, looking into Oliver's eyes. She had seen that look before.

"Oliver… tell me it's not what I think it is." Patty pleaded.

Oliver sighed. "Patty—"

Patty got up, disgusted. "Oh, God. Are you and her—"

"Patty, I can explain." Oliver pleaded as he got up.

"Is that why you wouldn't take her out when I asked you to?" Patty demanded.

"I didn't want you to have something like that on your conscience." Oliver said. That wasn't a lie but Patty scoffed in disgust as she left, banging the door. "Patty!"

Oliver sighed.

* * *

Barry was in his lab, working as usual until his phone rang. "Hello? Yeah?"

" _Barry, it's Dr. Caitlin Snow. It's about Patty. She was in a car accident._ "

* * *

Barry and Oliver were outside Patty's room with Quentin as Caitlin approached them.

"Is she OK?" Barry asked, worried.

"A broken wrist and concussion but it's not serious, she'll be out by tomorrow." Caitlin assured.

"What exactly happened?" Oliver asked.

"Apparently, she blacked out behind the wheel. Does Patty have a prescription for antianxiety meds?" Quentin asked. "I mean, most people do, in her case it's fine, if she does."

"Yeah. Why?" Barry asked.

"Apparently she OD'd. The bloodwork says she had a lot of the meds in her system. Triple the usual dose." Caitlin said.

"Maybe she lost track of how much she took, it happens." Quentin said.

"Where was she heading anyway?" Oliver asked.

"She was going to interview Nick Salvati in Iron Heights, since she got a tip on Helena possibly solely responsible for murder." Quentin said. "Look, she's got a beef with her and maybe she OD'd."

"Or maybe Helena was behind it." Barry said.

"Come on, Allen, how would she manage that?" Quentin questioned.

Oliver and Barry sighed as they entered Patty's room.

"You OK?" Oliver asked.

"I'll be fine." Patty assured.

"What happened, Patty?" Barry asked.

"I'm not sure." Patty tried to remember. "I was tired, I was driving and… the next thing I remember was everything fading to black. I was so asleep… I closed my eyes for like a second, I think but the next thing I know, I had my face buried in the airbag."

"Did you take the pills?" Barry asked.

"Last night. But not enough to OD, I was careful, I swear." Patty pleaded.

"Maybe you were careless." Oliver reasoned.

"No. I was careful, I swear." Patty insisted.

"Did Helena do this? I know you went to see her." Oliver said.

"Must have." Patty admitted.

"Even if she did it, how?" Barry wondered.

* * *

Oliver entered Helena's house.

"Did you do this?" Oliver demanded.

"Did I do what?" Helena played dumb.

"You know what I mean. Did you poison Patty?" Oliver glared.

"Do you think I'd be that stupid to poison a detective?" Helena protested.

"I know Patty threatened you. And not long after that she blacks out behind a wheel?" Oliver insisted.

"If I really did that, it would push you away from me, would it?" Helena snorted. "You have a code, Oliver and I'm trying to respect that. If I really was the woman you think I am, why aren't you trying to kill me or stay away from me? Tell me!" She picked a kitchen knife and neared to Oliver's neck. "Why won't you leave me alone?"

"Because…" Oliver paused.

"Say it." Helena insisted.

"Because…" Oliver took a breath. "I care about you."

Helena stared for a minute before she relaxed and pulled away. "I wish it was easy for me to believe you. If I had poisoned Patty, she'd be dead. And do you honestly believe I'd risk you and the police coming after me?"

Oliver considered. "Maybe it was all an accident."

"I'm sorry Patty got hurt, I really am." Helena said, looking regretful. "I get you're trying to make sense of all of this but do you really want to do it at the expense of what you and I have? We're the same, you and I."

"It's not that simple." Oliver protested. "I want to believe you… but how am I supposed to do that, when you say you would do anything to survive? How am I supposed to believe that you wouldn't hurt my friends?"

"I guess either you do… or you don't. You better start thinking about what you want, Oliver. Until you make up your mind… don't come anywhere near me again." Helena said as she opened the door to Oliver and he left.

He did care about her… but how was he supposed to trust her if she was going to hurt his friends to survive? What would he do?

* * *

Oliver entered Patty's apartment, looking around. If Helena broke in, she must have either entered through the window at the fire escape or carefully picked the lock. Deep down, he was hoping to be wrong. Oliver saw the pills at the counter.

"Alprazolam." Oliver read.

* * *

The forensics had sent to Barry what was in Patty's car, including a bottle of water as Barry did the analysis. The water was 40% alprazolam. The drug dissolves quickly in water.

"It was her." Barry realized.

"And I think I have a proof of her poisoning Roger Nixon." Oliver handed Barry the pen. "It's Nixon's pen. He liked to chew on it. It has her fingerprints on it and it's laced with aconite."

* * *

Oliver entered Helena's garden as she smiled at him and kissed him before she pulled away, noticing the look in his eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I've made up my mind. I'm sorry." Oliver said as Quentin approached Helena, cuffing her.

"Helena Bertinelli, you are under arrest for murder of Roger Nixon." Quentin said as Helena stared at Oliver in betrayal. "Anything you say, can and will be used against you in the court of law. If you can't afford an attorney, one will be provided to you…"

"You should have killed me." Helena whispered, tears filling her eyes as she looked at Oliver, hurt before Quentin dragged her away.

Oliver sighed. He was telling himself he did the right thing… so why wasn't he feeling any better?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is going to be a concluding epilogue to this story.
> 
> So, what do you guys think?
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have been enjoying this and want for me to continue.


	8. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver attempts to find his peace after forcing to sacrifice what he loves for the greater good, only to find out that he can't escape the darkness so easily.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own DC Comics or the CW TV shows Arrow, The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl or any other characters or elements pertaining to the mentioned franchises.

"My client does not plead guilty, Your Honor." The attorney said.

"Helena Bertinelli, you are hereby remanded to Starling County, with your bail denied." Judge Surillo banged the gavel as the officers dragged Helena away. Oliver gave Helena an apologetic look but Helena didn't care. She didn't give him an accusatory glare, nor was she remorseful or ashamed of her actions. She seemed… in peace.

"Did I do the right thing?" Oliver wondered.

"We stopped a killer from hurting more people. I'd say that's a win." Barry shrugged.

Then why wasn't Oliver feeling any better about this?

* * *

Oliver sat at Patty's side in the hospital. "Are you OK?"

"I'm gonna get released tomorrow." Patty said. "I heard Helena got arrested."

"I took care of it. I'm sorry you got hurt. This was my fault. I should've listened to my gut." Oliver said as Patty sighed.

"I guess you got seduced by femme fatale." Patty shrugged. "Come on, Oliver, I saw how you kept staring at her, when we were coming to see her. Did you…"

"…love her? Honestly, I don't know." Oliver admitted. He felt more attracted to her than to Sara and Dinah, that much he could tell. But was it love, he wasn't sure. She seemed to embrace both sides of him, unlike Sara or Dinah. "But I'm glad that it's over."

"Me too." Patty smiled. "How about we go get coffee once I get out of bed?"

"I'd like that." Oliver said. "But honestly… I think I'm gonna move out. I need… a change of scenery. We've all been through some heavy crap and I need some rest."

"So, this is goodbye?" Patty asked.

"It's 'See you later.' I'll come back one day. I promise." Oliver held her hand before Barry entered with flowers and as Oliver filled him in, Oliver hugged him.

"Goodbye, Oliver."

"See you, buddy." Barry smiled.

* * *

Oliver had moved from Starling City to Coast City, trying to move on and find peace with himself. He kept his promise to Sara and crime rate was much lower in Coast City, so perhaps Oliver would not have to struggle with his inner darkness in this place.

William was reading a book before he fell asleep as Oliver was reading in papers an article about Helena Bertinelli escaping custody after using some poison to fake her death in prison.

"Hello, Oliver."

Oliver smiled. He was expecting this. He knew she would one day come back to haunt him. He turned around to face Helena. He expected anger, contempt, bloodlust. But none of that were on her face. Her face was full of understanding and sadness.

"Did you come here to kill me?" Oliver asked.

Helena took a breath, in her hand a gun. "I was going to. At first. You betrayed me."

"You poisoned Patty! She almost died because of you!" Oliver reminded.

Helena took a breath as they stared at each other. "Do you wish that you had killed me, when we met?"

"Honestly… I'm not sure." Oliver admitted. "But… I don't think so. And you? Did you ever wish to kill me, after what I did to you?"

"No." Helena sighed. "But… I'd hoped you would understand why I did what I did."

"The thing is, I do. I wish I didn't but I do but that doesn't change the fact that you hurt my friend." Oliver said.

"I told you, I do what I have to do to survive." Helena said.

"And what, you think I'd come after you? Now that you're free?" Oliver scoffed.

"Would you?" Helena asked, raising her knife, daring Oliver to kill her as she pulled his hand towards her. "You and I… are two sides of the same coin. If I'm wrong… then I deserve this. You punish those, who walk away from justice and kill innocent people. I know you want to. I see it in your eyes. You can't keep your eyes off me. Don't deny it, Oliver. Embrace who you are. Do it." She urged, nearing the knife to her heart, daring Oliver to kill her. "Do it!"

Her eyes were getting wet. Oliver breathed out as he felt his heart race. Oliver clenched the hilt of the knife… and ripped the top off Helena and pinning her to the wall and they stared at each other.

Neither one of them knew why but they felt attracted to each other as he held her knife. "I don't want to kill you. What about you?" Oliver whispered.

"No." Helena admitted. "I told myself that I came here to kill you. But… I need you. You make me whole."

Oliver smiled as she returned the smile as they kissed fiercely and laid down on the couch, with her unbuttoning Oliver's shirt as they were losing themselves in each other, dropping their clothes on the floor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't resist reference from The Dark Knight.
> 
> Not entirely proud of the story, since I didn't want to do play-by-play of Dexter but I was inspired by the seasons that would draw the closest to Arrow with the themes of each season but I hope you've enjoyed this story nonetheless. Dark Oliver and Dark Helena would surely be a twisted pairing and those familiar with Dexter can tell that I wrote a different ending rather than the one from Dexter. I briefly considered copying the final season too but that would be disappointing too and perhaps remind people too much of the disappointing ending in Arrow.
> 
> To those not familiar with Dexter, Hannah McKay was a bit unhinged woman, who liked to poison people, either out of self-preservation or because they had wronged her somehow and while Dexter wanted to kill her at first, he found himself attracted to her and they fell in love with each other until Hannah poisoned Debra, Dexter's sister, who is a cop, because she was onto Hannah. Dexter then had Hannah arrested but she escaped and while her and Dexter's relationship was on the fence after that, they made amends and reconciled and fell in love once more, when Dexter saved her and killed her abusive husband and he was eventually going to spend a happy life with her and Dexter's son Harrison in Argentina.
> 
> But then, Debra was shot by the main villain of Season 8 and ended up in a vegetative state with a loss of oxygen in her brain, forcing Dexter to euthanize her and he ended up so depressed that he faked his own death by driving his boat into a hurricane, abandoning his friends Angel and Quinn, his lover Hannah and son Harrison and stepchildren Astor and Cody and decided to live in seclusion alone as lumberjack, with no one having any idea who he is as the world, including Dexter's friends and remaining family, believes that he is dead, while Dexter's girlfriend and son are forced to move on without him and start over a new life.
> 
> Now, this is a very anticlimatic and depressing ending for awesome TV series like and a character like Dexter. And it's basically the same like with the resolution to Steve Rogers's arc in Marvel Cinematic Universe and Felicity's in Arrowverse.
> 
> Why?
> 
> While it is understandable that Steve would be down over losing Tony and Natasha, he still has Sam, Bucky, Wanda, Rhodey and the others and he leaves them to live a happy life with Peggy in the past, creating a new timeline and erasing her children and grandchildren from existence and Steve basically stays asides, while threats like Chitauri or others pop up with the Avengers needed and Peggy is crucial to the formation of S.H.I.E.L.D. later.
> 
> The Steve we know, would never erase Peggy's children and grandchildren from existence for his own selfish desires. If he was going to make an alternate timeline, it's a lot more likely he'd make one where Bucky never became the Winter Soldier or where Nat and Tony were still alive rather than…this.
> 
> And as for Felicity, her abandoning her children just to get her happy ending with Oliver in afterlife, is stupid beyond measure, especially when her friends, William and Mia still need her to fight the new threats.
> 
> This ending felt better for me and a therapy after my disappointment with the characters.
> 
> Please review and let me know if you have enjoyed the story to its end.
> 
> With regards
> 
> Bl4ckHunter


End file.
